A new law has been passed which needs almost 55,000 San Mateo County students in 7th to 12th grades to receive a whooping cough shot so as to come back to school during the fall.

The schools will be aided by the health agencies this week to spread this news to the public and private school students who must be able to display their evidence or proof of immunization for pertussis, or whooping cough, prior to the beginning of the fresh school year otherwise they will not be granted permission to attend class.

However, a couple of exemptions will be given, i.e., parental personal beliefs and medical reasons.

The students will be given a Tdap booster shot, which not only takes care of whooping cough but also of tetanus as well as diphtheria. However, there is no vaccine available solely for the purpose of whooping cough.

Usually, this shot is provided to children below the age of 7 years which fades as time passes by. This was sent by the state last year as it suffered the most severe whooping cough outbreak since the 1950s.